MUSCATINE, Iowa — If the next Lee Trevino or Kurt Warner is growing up in Muscatine, one group of Muscatine volunteers wants to make sure they’re  being encouraged.

Like Trevino and Warner, whose natural talents took them from humble beginnings to fame and fortune in golf and football, respectively, the families of many Muscatine children cannot afford to add golf lessons to already tight budgets.

And in homes where both parents work, taking children to athletic activities can be a challenge.

But it’s a challenge the members of one the United Way’s Let’s Talk Affinity groups want to meet.

The Let’s Talk initiative invites community members to discuss and plan ways to make Muscatine a better place to live for all area residents.

People who attend those meetings split into smaller committees called alliances, to target specific needs in the community.

Anita Olson, a retired registered nurse and well-known community volunteer, and Diane Campbell, an associate principal at Muscatine High School, are members of an alliance that strives to make community resources, opportunities and activities available to area residents, regardless of income level.

Olson and Campbell  said their alliance developed an Youth Participation Program to help ensure that more area grade school children are becoming involved in area athletic programs.

So far, their work has put golf clubs into the hands of youngsters who’ve never walked onto a golf course, and united a group of area professionals who want to reach out to area children.

Campbell’s background in education made the project especially significant for her.

“I know from the research I have read that students who participate in extracurricular activities tend to do better in school,” said Campbell.

Campbell also knows that students who participate in athletics in grade school are more likely to continue in middle and high school.

Once the alliance members

decided getting more children involved in sports could change their lives, the members were on a mission.

By the numbers

Olson said members of her alliance looked at data to learn which Muscatine schools had students participating in sports programs of the Muscatine Community Y, the Muscatine Youth Sports Foundation and the Muscatine Parks and Recreation Department.

They learned schools with the highest percentage of students who qualify for free and reduced lunches  have fewer students attending the sports programs.

The alliance decided to work with four area elementary school that had the lowest rate of participation to find ways to make changes.

After talking with families and educators, the alliance learned several things prevent children from being involved in sports programs.

- Some parents’ work hours make it difficult for  them to take their children to and from activities.

- Parents who didn’t participate in sports and fine arts programming as children aren’t always as aware of the benefits of those activities.

- Some families couldn’t afford the program fees.

Meeting in the middle

The affinity group members contacted principals at the target schools and said they would like to assist more families in placing their children in sports programs.

After talking with families, principals and staff at the schools  recommended 10 students from each school to begin the program.

“We want all our students to have a chance to participate in sports at the middle and high school level,” said Vicki Connelly, principal of Garfield/ Franklin, one of the participating schools. “And we want to get them prepared at the elementary level.”

Shane Williams, principal of Jefferson Elementary, another participating school, said the program adds an important facet to his students’ education.

“Opening the door to opportunities beyond the four walls of the classroom is something that is vitally important for our children,” said Williams. “Our kids who have participated as a result of this partnership are excited about being a part of organized activities in our community and can hardly wait until the next seasonal sport.”

Bridging the gap

As the Affinity group made plans to begin the program, they talked to more people who could help.

The first activity the children attended was a golf program conducted by the city’s Park and Recreation Department at Muscatine  Municipal golf course during the summer. The affinity group learned about that activity from another member, Rich Klimes, who is also the Parks and Recreation Director for the city.

Jim Miller, president of the Youth Sports Foundation in Muscatine, successfully applied for a grant to help pay for golf clubs for the students.

Like Campbell, Miller realized there were additional benefits  for students involved in athletic programs.

“The time most kids get in trouble is between the hours of 3:30-6 p.m., when they are home from school and their parents are at work,” said Miller. “Being in sports keeps kids involved in positive activities.”

Some of the students received scholarships provided by various community sponsors, such as the Rotary Club of Muscatine, to help pay for the fees.

Ann Harrison, transit supervisor for MuscaBus, coordinated a bus route that would pick students up at their elementary schools and take them to the golf course.

Affinity group members called the students’ parents the night before to remind them of when the bus would arrive at their school.

Harrison said the route worked well for the summer activity and she may be able to work with the group again in the future.

A success

 “The partnership between the schools, Community Y, Parks and Rec, and Youth Sports Foundation has afforded our kids the chance to participate in athletic activities that they otherwise may not have had,” said Williams.

Olson and Campbell said the children who golfed for the first time really enjoyed themselves.

“What a shame it would be if we had the next Lee Trevino, but his parents couldn’t afford to send him to lessons,” said Olson.

Lee Trevino is a professional golf player who rose to fame in the U.S. during the late 1960s and early ’70s.

The Youth Participation Program also brought  more kids into the Youth Sports Foundation’s tackle football program last fall, with positive results.

Miller, who is also a member of the alliance, volunteered to help register students for the program.

“We have a lot of kids in our community who get overlooked for sports programs because their parents can’t always get off work to go register them,” said Miller. “My staff and I decided to take the registration to the schools.”

Olson said the affinity group would like to expand the program to include more children and incorporate fine arts activities, too.

The affinity group is making plans to begin enrolling identified students in track and field and soccer programs this spring.

“I get phone calls from the students’ parents now,” said Campbell. “Our hope is that this becomes a regular way of doing business in Muscatine.”